A DC-to-DC converter is an electronic circuit or electromechanical device that converts a source of direct current (DC) from one voltage level to another. An example type of DC-to-DC converter is a charge pump that employs at least one capacitor as an energy-storage element to create either a higher or lower voltage power source. In the example charge pump, switching devices control the connection of voltages to the at least one capacitor. In at least one example, a two-stage cycle charge pump generates a higher pulsed voltage from a lower-voltage supply. In the first stage of the cycle, the circuit is switched to a condition in which the capacitor is connected across the supply, thereby charging the capacitor to that same voltage. In the second stage of the cycle, the circuit is switched to a condition in which the capacitor is in series with the supply to the load. This two-stage cycle effectively provides nearly double the supply voltage to the load (by providing a sum of the original supply voltage plus the at least one capacitor's voltage). In at least one example, an output capacitor smooths the pulsing nature of the higher-voltage output.